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2 months now with my 2023 HRV Sport(with photos)

3862 Views 22 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  Hygieneboy
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I'm no stranger to Hondas and have owned a few of them in my life- 06 Odyssey EXL, 2009 Pilot EXL, 2012 Crosstour EXL, 2013 Pilot Touring, 2013 Accord Sport, 2013 CRV EXL(Limited)(still have it), 2018 Accord Hybrid EXL. I absolutely loved the looks of the new HRV when it came out, and reminded me of a 2017 Macan I leased. I traded 1 2018 Avalon Limited for it, and waited 2 months before mine was delivered. I have now owned mine for 2 months and have put over 6000k miles on it.

It hasn't been perfect, but I really love this car. I average 26+mpg overall, and my style of driving is driving at the speed of traffic and not staying behind anyone. My Avalon used to average 19mpg with the same driving, so I'm pretty happy.

The things that I don't like about it-
1. The stock tires are HOT GARBAGE! They are the WORST tires I've EVER had on a brand new car. Swapped them out immediately. They are dangerously bad if you live in any area with rain or snow!
2. The rear tailgate makes noise. Can't pinpoint the issue, but I believe it's the plastic on the inside of the tailgate door. Just been too busy to further diagnose issue.
3. The headlights are not strong enough, and are too narrow. I never noticed this issue prior to buying because I never test drove it during the night.
4. It really NEEDS FOG LIGHTS!
5. The gray trim on the rear bumper- just doesn't match the rest of the design.
6. The rear model naming/badges not all being the same color. Really a bone-headed move on Honda's part IMO.

What I like about it-
1. The driving position. I LOVE the linear driving position. Straight steering wheel with equal spacing on both sides of the foot well for support. Reminds me of my Macan every time I get in it.
2. The way it handles. I compared this to the new Corolla Cross and CX3, and it was an easy choice.
2. The engine seems to love all rev ranges.
3. The CVT is the best CVT I've driven. No complaints at all about it.
4. The way it looks. I get at least 1 or 2 compliments about it at gas stations every week.
5. The interior design. I love the simple design, and ease of use/utilitarian design of the interior.
6. Carplay has been 100% flawless! Never had a single issue. I've never had another car that has been flawless with Carplay. My 2018 Accord was a nightmare with Carplay.
7. It's amazing in snow!
8. I get around 32-33mpg of highway driving when cruising around 75mph. I average 26.6mpg of combined driving. I'm very happy with this. The only car I've ever owned that was more efficient with my driving style was my 2018 Accord hybrid. I use to average 39mpg with that, and could get into the 50s if I really wanted to.
9. The price. I think you get a lot for this price. In my honest opinion, and having owned dozens of cars, you get a LOT of good car in this new HRV. I know for a fact that this HRV will stick around in our family for years to come, and that is something that is rare for me to say because I usually NEVER get attached to cars.

Here are some photos.
These are from the day I picked it up.
Car Wheel Land vehicle Vehicle Tire

Car Wheel Land vehicle Tire Vehicle


I took these photos today. Lots of fun in the snow with the Michelin CrossClimate2s mounted on TireRack Sport wheels.
Wheel Tire Car Vehicle Snow
Land vehicle Car Snow Sky Plant
Wheel Ice racing Tire Car Snow
Car Tire Snow Vehicle Wheel
Plant Snow Natural environment Natural landscape Vehicle
Vehicle Sky Snow Car Plant
Snow Car Vehicle Tire Wheel
Snow Car Automotive parking light Vehicle Tire


Was a fun day! I'm really impressed with how well it does in snow. It didn't struggle a single bit in all of the winter snow storm we had!
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You're 100% on the badge colour. It really should all match.
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Just picked up my EX-L last night. The badges match on that one (all chrome)
I did not notice any noise from the tailgate on mine (was a 25 min ride home.. but.. I also had the radio on)
Headlights, I know what you mean.. it could benefit from fog lights - but the white vs yellow light is good. the area it does light up is bright.
Grey trim under the back bumper looks fine with white... but yeah. Odd for other colors

not sure of the tires yet. No snow here (if it did, i'd never drive.. people are morons here lol)

I think the door pockets are too small, and it needs a rear armrest with cup holders!
Also.. the front armrest... its nice but.. if you go to get fast food, and get more than 2 drinks.. im wondering where to set the drink tray! lol

Everything else about it i really like so far- i'll report back in a few months as well.
About the badges, I Plasti-Dipped them to match the Sport one and had excellent results. Try that first and several YouTube tutorials.
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Nice Pictures! Honda did a nice job with their redesign. What brand/type tires were stock that you replaced?
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I did not notice any noise from the tailgate on mine (was a 25 min ride home.. but.. I also had the radio on)
Headlights, I know what you mean.. it could benefit from fog lights - but the white vs yellow light is good. the area it does light up is bright.
The tailgate noise is really only evident when going over broken concrete or similar road imperfections that create sharp and sudden suspension movement. That's where you can hear it somewhere in the upper tailgate area. I still believe it comes from the plastic trim surround that you see on the inside of the tailgate. If I tap it with my finger, it makes a very similar sound. You can tell it's not the greatest fit and finish around there. I've gotten used to it now that I know where it's coming from and know it's not a big deal.
I traded in a car that had HID lights for the HRV, and the lack of headlight power is incredibly noticeable, especially in dark asphalt roads with no overhead light poles. Sticking a flashlight outside easily overpowers the headlights. Turning the high-beam definitely helps, though.

About the badges, I Plasti-Dipped them to match the Sport one and had excellent results. Try that first and several YouTube tutorials.
Yep! I have a couple cans of plastidip from other jobs, but I just haven't had the time to do it yet.

Nice Pictures! Honda did a nice job with their redesign. What brand/type tires were stock that you replaced?
The OE tires are Hankook Kinergy GT. They are the worst set of tires I have ever had in 20+ car ownership experience. They might be fine for people that do little driving or travel super short distances in Southern climate areas, but they have piss-poor traction when new, and get drastically worse as they wear in. They are not a good tire for any Northern state that ever sees good amounts of rain or snow fall.
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Hankook Kinergy were standard on my Camry SE. They wore out at 15 or 18K miles.
Awesome car, the BEST color. But just can’t justify the 2.0 engine. Makes zero sense they don’t use the 1.5t when other markets have already been utilizing it. It’s a waste and watered down.
I would be interested to hear from any of you that may have come from a vehicle with halogen headlamps like how the 2020 CRV EX is equipped (halogen heads, LED fogs). Are the LED heads in the HRV better/worse than the halogen head/LED fog combo in the older CRV? I live in SC and it is very dark down here. The light output just gets swallowed up by the darkness down here.
I would be interested to hear from any of you that may have come from a vehicle with halogen headlamps like how the 2020 CRV EX is equipped (halogen heads, LED fogs). Are the LED heads in the HRV better/worse than the halogen head/LED fog combo in the older CRV? I live in SC and it is very dark down here. The light output just gets swallowed up by the darkness down here.
TBH I find the LED lights on my 2023 extremely bright. I live up north with lots of rural roads with no street lights. These are definitely way brighter than my 2017 HRV. So bright I’m constantly getting flashed by other vehicles that think my high beams are on
TBH I find the LED lights on my 2023 extremely bright. I live up north with lots of rural roads with no street lights. These are definitely way brighter than my 2017 HRV. So bright I’m constantly getting flashed by other vehicles that think my high beams are on
The headlights on the 23 are very bright. But also aimed too high. Got pulled over the first week I had mine. So I aimed them down myself.
Any further feedback on the Michelin Cross Climate all-weather tires?

Family member needs new tires on their GMC Terrain AWD SUV, about the same size as a Honda CRV.
Will be year round use in Calgary, but no mountain driving in the winter.

I like Nokians and have used them for years but the Finland Nokian company is in trouble and really scrambling after moving most of their manufacturing to Russia about 10 years ago...

I'm not a political guy but I'm not buying nor recommend Russian products.
Our HRV actually has Russian made Nokians that we purchased in 2021.

Unexpectedly, the Michelin Cross Climates are nearly the same price as other name brand all-weather tires for this vehicle which has 18" wheels.
The other factor is that the CC's are readily available locally.
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Any further feedback on the Michelin Cross Climate all-weather tires?

Family member needs new tires on their GMC Terrain AWD SUV, about the same size as a Honda CRV.
Will be year round use in Calgary, but no mountain driving in the winter.

I like Nokians and have used them for years but the Finland Nokian company is in trouble and really scrambling after moving most of their manufacturing to Russia about 10 years ago...

I'm not a political guy but I'm not buying nor recommend Russian products.
Our HRV actually has Russian made Nokians that we purchased in 2021.

Unexpectedly, the Michelin Cross Climates are nearly the same price as other name brand all-weather tires for this vehicle which has 18" wheels.
The other factor is that the CC's are readily available locally.
I cannot say enough good about them, to be honest (just mine are on a 2017) -
just be aware the downside is a slight drop in fuel economy - and I find a little road noise but only over concrete portions of the road - asphalt is as quiet as the OEM tires were.
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I've had my 2023 HRV EX-L for a little over a month now. Had a 2016 HRV previously, that was tragically T-boned a few days into the new year; forcing me to upgrade to the 2023. Initial thoughts: love the redesign. At first i thought it looked too much like the 2022 Ford Escape, but alas, I was wrong. I liked the smaller storage compartments in the cockpit of the 2016, I was saddened to see that there weren't nearly as many storage spaces in the cabin of the 2023. These are minor issues though, I can live with that.

What I cannot manage to live with, is the puny horn that Honda thought was adequate & fit for road use. When driving at speed, the horn is barely audible. Evidently it is also inaudible when stationary as well, as I just had an issue with it moments ago, which brought me to this site. The horn is the worst part of this otherwise awesome vehicle. I wish there was a way to replace it

Anyway, sick HRV pictures above! Cant wait to get a proper snow so I can take some pictures of mine
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Any further feedback on the Michelin Cross Climate all-weather tires?

Family member needs new tires on their GMC Terrain AWD SUV, about the same size as a Honda CRV.
Will be year round use in Calgary, but no mountain driving in the winter.

I like Nokians and have used them for years but the Finland Nokian company is in trouble and really scrambling after moving most of their manufacturing to Russia about 10 years ago...

I'm not a political guy but I'm not buying nor recommend Russian products.
Our HRV actually has Russian made Nokians that we purchased in 2021.

Unexpectedly, the Michelin Cross Climates are nearly the same price as other name brand all-weather tires for this vehicle which has 18" wheels.
The other factor is that the CC's are readily available locally.
I never skimp when it comes to tires, but I do try others if I hear good things about them. I usually need a new set of tires at least once every year, so I feel like I've been through more experiences than most average drivers. So, with that said, in all my life, there have been only 3 tire varieties that I have bought more than once: Michelin CrossClimate 2, Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+(their newer version is even better, but have not had the chance to try them yet), and Continental ExtremeContact DWS06.

The CrossClimate2 are my all-time favorite tires for all-season driving in areas that get a lot of snow. I just get a new set for my '15 LS460, and they are great on that as well. I would recommend them for anyone that is looking for a really safe winter tire, while also being able to drive them all year long without prematurely wearing out your tires like normal winter tires. They offer smooth driving, and noise levels are on par with other quiet tires.

If both all-season driving AND great snow traction is a must, the CrossClimate2 is my #1 choice for ALL-SEASON snow tires.
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The headlights on the 23 are very bright. But also aimed too high. Got pulled over the first week I had mine. So I aimed them down myself.
How do you lower them?
There is a bolt head besides the headlight plugin on the back of the housings. Using a ratchet I loosened the bolt one complete revolution. Made a world of difference.
Bumper Automotive tire Automotive exterior Automotive design Auto part
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I got this from my Honda Dealership

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I agree the stock Hankook tires are terrible. Waiting for them to wear enough to justify new tires
There is a bolt head besides the headlight plugin on the back of the housings. Using a ratchet I loosened the bolt one complete revolution. Made a world of difference. View attachment 35569
The headlight vertical adjustment is designed to be easily made with a Phillips head screwdriver in that slot on top.
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